Pedestrian Crossing Improvements

You "Talked the Walk" With Us

The City of Tacoma is planning to spend $2.5 million in one-time funds on planning, designing and constructing pedestrian crossing improvements throughout the community. There will be $300,000 dispersed to each of the five council districts and $1 million to Downtown Tacoma. The City will begin implementing projects this fall, with a break over the holidays and winter months from November to February, continuing with more work in March of 2015.

Completed Projects

A total of 45 crosswalks have been installed at locations where the existing crosswalks were either faded, or where exsisting ADA ramps met the required standards and a new crosswalk could be added. To view the completed locations please refer the the map below as well as the table.

In March and April of 2014 we asked you to "Talk the Walk" with us about top locations in need of pedestrian crossing improvements. You did! From these meetings, and through an online survey, over 650 responses were received. This outreach effort resulted in the identification of over 310 unique pedestrian crossing improvement locations across the City. Based on public feedback, the identified locations were ranked on the following criteria:

Very ImportantThe prioritization criteria are also being used to inform the City's Transportation Master Plan.

Vehicle/pedestrian traffic volumes

Proximity to schools

Vehicle/pedestrian collisions

Proximity to parks

Important

Proximity to hospitals

Proximity to bus stops

Locations identified through this process, regardless of other characteristics

Proximity to major employers and commercial centers

Proximity to senior centers/housing

Somewhat Important

Proximity to bike/trail systems

Proximity to libraries

The ranking and evaluation process, the preliminary list of ranked locations by Council District and the Downtown, along with the tentative identification of sites for striping and/or other construction improvements (both by this project and other City projects), was presented to the public at meetings on June 30 and July 9, 2014.

Based on feedback from these meetings, and updated preliminary design and construction cost estimates, the planned improvements in each Council District and the Downtown are shown on the following attachments. This table is also being updated as locations are completed.

The Council District Lists and the Citywide Maps are best printed and viewed at 11x17 scale. The individual Council District Maps may be printed and viewed at the 8.5x11 scale.

The actual number of sites that we will be able to improve depends on the conditions encountered in the field and the final design and construction costs. Traditionally, the City has not been able to budget for general pedestrian crossing improvements outside of the Hazardous Sidewalk Replacement Program and ADA Transition Plan. Instead, improvements have been made as required by ongoing construction projects, and as enabled through school safety grants. Therefore, we knew that there would be more needs than could by addressed with this one-time funding. Sites that do not get improved through this effort will remain on each Council District's list and may be addressed through future pedestrian-focused projects, based on available funding.

Project Updates

Beginning in October 2014, Active Construction Inc., teamed with design consultants BCRA, began design and construction activities related to implementing the list of pedestrian crossing improvements identified and prioritized by the public last summer. This involves the installation of crosswalk striping and the construction of new accessible pedestrian crossings/enhancements (flashing beacons, curb ramps, bulbouts, signs, lighting, etc.).

Between October and November 2014, the project team completed the installation of 48 marked crosswalks across the City, and the construction of new curb ramps and other pedestrian improvements at 4 locations (two each in Council Districts 1 and 4). Construction activities were put on hold over the holidays/winter months beginning November 26, 2014, design, however, continued through the break. Construction activities will resume on March 2, 2015, and continue into the summer/fall.